Inputs for a PM come from various sources. Qualitative inputs may come from feedback, interviews, insights, observation, etc. Quantitative may come from analytics, experiments, market & business analysis, and others. No one input is a silver bullet. As a product leader, one must look at various inputs to come to decisions (see Metrics & Decisions).
Experimentation
A/B experiments Methodology
- Hypothesis: start by mapping out your hypothesis. What are we testing?
- Methodology: What exactly are we going to engineer to test the hypothesis? Be Precise. You + team must understand exactly what is being proposed and what the setup of the experiment will look like. Map out who the experiment will be run on?
- Metrics: What will we measure and look for that conveys useful insights?
- Impact: How will this be useful? What metrics will be used to inform a launch or scrap?
- Tradeoffs: What are the tradeoffs? What pitfalls might exist?
Research
Qualitative research
Feedback loops
Customer needs